Stage Two: Making Connections

The second stage of the journey looks to take learning away from the traditional classroom and connect students with their wider community; demonstrating that it takes a village to protect the environment. Building on the learning that has occurred during Stage One, students connect with an adult mentor to continue their journey. Mentors play an essential part in the Kids Teaching Kids program with students working alongside adults as equals, sharing ideas, knowledge and hopes for the future.
Mentors are there to provide support and offer ideas to the students, helping them understand new information or teaching them a relevant skill. Mentors do not necessarily need to be a traditional expert on the chosen research topic but simply have something to offer the student's learning.
Mentors do not need to commit to an extended period of time, a mentor could simply take the form of a one-hour session run by a local education group or could visit the students once a week throughout the year. Many groups have multiple mentors throughout their Kids Teaching Kids journey depending on what their specific needs are or what section of the journey they are completing. Some mentors might have nothing to do with the environmental topic but rather be there to teach students a necessary skill, for example helping students prepare for the public speaking component of their workshop or running a cooking class.